{"434131":{"#nid":"434131","#data":{"type":"news","title":"Tech Welcomes Record-Setting Freshman Class","body":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003EOn August 17, around 3,000 of the brightest minds from around the world arrive at Georgia Tech to begin the next phase of their lives as Yellow Jackets.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EThe incoming freshman class is record-setting in its diversity and academic prestige. The group is 41 percent female \u2014 the first class to ever top 40 percent. This class also has 35 percent more African-American students than last year, and its academic profile \u2014 which includes SAT scores and number of college-level classes taken \u2014 is the best a class has ever been.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u201cIt\u2019s a testament to Tech\u2019s amazing place in the college landscape,\u201d said Rick Clark, director of Undergraduate Admission. \u201cAdmission has a small part in it, but this class is something all of Georgia Tech should be really proud of.\u201d\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EThe average SAT range for this class is 2060-2250, and 94 percent have taken at least AP Calculus or an equivalent course. The class represents 64 countries, 49 states, 86 Georgia counties, and more than 1,400 high schools.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EThis year in recruiting undergraduates, admission staff did more personal and tailored outreach to many students and engaged more people on campus in the process. Faculty members participated in admission committee meetings to provide input on decisions, and alumni from around the country met with prospective students throughout the year to talk with them about coming to Georgia Tech.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EGiven Georgia Tech\u2019s focus on science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) education, and its high rankings across all disciplines, it\u2019s not a hard sell.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u201cThe Institute is so well-positioned,\u201d Clark said. \u201cStudents want to be here, and this freshman class is an indicator that Tech is clearly vital in creating the next generation of entrepreneurs, researchers, and leaders for our nation and workforce.\u201d\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EOne goal this year was to diversify the class with regard to intended majors. The biggest gain in this area was in the Ivan Allen College of Liberal Arts, which saw an increase of 50 percent over last year.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EThis year\u2019s group includes the first Atlanta Public Schools (APS) Scholars. This new partnership with APS offers automatic admission to the valedictorians and salutatorians from all the system\u2019s high schools. Five students took advantage of the offer and will be on campus this fall, and the overall enrollment in the freshman class from APS nearly doubled over last year.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EFor the Undergraduate Admission team, almost every goal it set last year was met. The challenge for the next year will be to figure out how to replicate that success and continue to diversify in more nuanced ways, such as recruiting students from more high schools and more Georgia counties.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u201cWe have to stop and reflect that this was an amazing year,\u201d Clark said. \u201cIt\u2019s a landmark event to be 40 percent female. Our country needs more women in STEM and in policymaking. As we recruit students, we have to frame and articulate to families that this institution is committed to improving the human condition and is living out our motto of progress and service in a very real way. Our mission is inspiring and that is really what makes recruiting and enrolling at Tech fun and meaningful.\u201d\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EThis year\u0027s applicant pool was bigger than ever. Two years ago, Tech switched to the Common Application for all freshman admission. Many schools have reported an increase in applications of around 20 percent their first year using the app; Tech saw a 40 percent jump its first year. Some schools also have experienced a \u201csophomore slump,\u201d where the number of applications decreased in the second year they used the Common App; however, Tech saw another increase, of 5.5 percent, its second year. Though growth in class size is not a goal, this class is slightly larger than those in recent years by about 200 students.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u201cTo be larger, have more women, more ethnic diversity, and high academics is unheard of,\u201d Clark said. \u201cThe power of Georgia Tech is incredible.\u201d\u003C\/p\u003E","summary":null,"format":"limited_html"}],"field_subtitle":"","field_summary":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003EThis year\u0027s freshman class is 40 percent female and more diverse and academically qualified than ever.\u003C\/p\u003E","format":"limited_html"}],"field_summary_sentence":[{"value":"This year\u0027s freshman class is 40 percent female and more diverse and academically qualified than ever."}],"uid":"27469","created_gmt":"2015-08-13 11:53:20","changed_gmt":"2016-10-08 03:19:22","author":"Kristen Bailey","boilerplate_text":"","field_publication":"","field_article_url":"","dateline":{"date":"2015-08-13T00:00:00-04:00","iso_date":"2015-08-13T00:00:00-04:00","tz":"America\/New_York"},"extras":[],"hg_media":{"434141":{"id":"434141","type":"image","title":"Freshmen Walk from Convocation","body":null,"created":"1449256148","gmt_created":"2015-12-04 19:09:08","changed":"1475895174","gmt_changed":"2016-10-08 02:52:54","alt":"Freshmen Walk from Convocation","file":{"fid":"202954","name":"freshmen-convocation.jpg","image_path":"\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/freshmen-convocation_0.jpg","image_full_path":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/freshmen-convocation_0.jpg","mime":"image\/jpeg","size":592338,"path_740":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/sites\/default\/files\/styles\/740xx_scale\/public\/images\/freshmen-convocation_0.jpg?itok=mQd6E40Z"}},"434151":{"id":"434151","type":"image","title":"Freshmen Enjoy Convocation","body":null,"created":"1449256148","gmt_created":"2015-12-04 19:09:08","changed":"1475895174","gmt_changed":"2016-10-08 02:52:54","alt":"Freshmen Enjoy Convocation","file":{"fid":"202955","name":"freshmen-convocation-2.jpg","image_path":"\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/freshmen-convocation-2_0.jpg","image_full_path":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/freshmen-convocation-2_0.jpg","mime":"image\/jpeg","size":673133,"path_740":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/sites\/default\/files\/styles\/740xx_scale\/public\/images\/freshmen-convocation-2_0.jpg?itok=OqZLnU_-"}}},"media_ids":["434141","434151"],"related_links":[{"url":"http:\/\/admission.gatech.edu\/","title":"Office of Undergraduate Admission"},{"url":"http:\/\/specialevents.gatech.edu\/convocation","title":"New Student Convocation"}],"groups":[{"id":"1214","name":"News Room"}],"categories":[{"id":"129","name":"Institute and Campus"}],"keywords":[{"id":"5453","name":"admission"},{"id":"736","name":"diversity"},{"id":"91","name":"enrollment"},{"id":"96","name":"freshmen"},{"id":"6726","name":"recruitment"},{"id":"973","name":"women"}],"core_research_areas":[],"news_room_topics":[{"id":"71871","name":"Campus and Community"}],"event_categories":[],"invited_audience":[],"affiliations":[],"classification":[],"areas_of_expertise":[],"news_and_recent_appearances":[],"phone":[],"contact":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003E\u003Ca href=\u0022mailto:kristen.bailey@comm.gatech.edu\u0022\u003EKristen Bailey\u003C\/a\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EInstitute Communications\u003C\/p\u003E","format":"limited_html"}],"email":[],"slides":[],"orientation":[],"userdata":""}}}